How often do you pass out?

[DriftingDolce]

I've had POTS for about 2 1/2 years and I pass out a LOT. I've been tracking my symptoms for the last couple years, and on average I faint around 13 times per week. I've had two Tilt Table Tests and in both cases, my heart rate went way up and I fainted, but my blood pressure stayed about the same. My doctors are all confused about how I can be passing out without a drop in blood pressure. I thought that high HR/stable BP was pretty typical for POTS though?

So I'm wondering... how frequently do you pass out? What's within the realm of "normal" for POTS? Am I that unusual?

[kalamazoo]

I don't think anything with POTS is normal haha, but I've never passed out, but I also don't get low blood pressure, I have hyper pots so it's kind of the opposite. I do get vertigo randomly though, more often lately too where I just suddenly feel like everything is spinning beneath me. 

13 times a week seems like a lot though, have they put you on any meds or any type of symptom management plan? And have you seen a doctor that specializes in POTS? A lot of doctors know kind of just the surface of the pathophysiology but don't know much about specifics and thus can only be so helpful.

[Guest KiminOrlando]

Before I was put on meds, I could pass out several times in a day. I learned to quickly stop what I was doing and rest flat on my back or I would regret it. It takes me way longer to recover from a full blown faint than to recover from feeling like I am going to faint. I'm so good at knowing how far to push things that I rarely fully faint anymore, but I have the luxury of not having to be on anybody else's schedule- just my body's, so that helps TREMENDOUSLY. If I had to get ready for work and meet deadlines, I would have to push things and end up on the floor unconscious again.

I think you can maintain a decent appearing BP and still faint. I'm not sure if that is the one they call 'low flow' POTS or not. I think it can also have to do with the blood flow/O2 to the brain (they may be one in the same). 

If your cardiologist is out of ideas, you may need to look for an experienced neurologist. I think they are the ones that diagnose blood flow issues to the brain and technically, it could still be other things triggering your episodes. 

Hope you find some answers.

Kim

[Guest ANCY]

According to my Drs I fall way out of "normal" for POTS and NCS. That said, I used to pass out 20+ times a day pre pacemaker, not the answer for everyone, but very helpful for me. I have/had trouble with low bp as well as wildly fluctuations in bp and hr. Recently have found that if I push my body way beyond it's limits I will still pass out but I did go for 7 months without passing out once. (Post major Surgery I passed out 1-2 times a day for about a week.)

Obviously my situation is a bit different then yours I've had unconscious bp readings as low as 45/20. Something useful I have learned is that while exact numbers are good to know the drop can sometimes affect you more. For example a drop from 150/100 to 110/60 could cause more symptoms than bp staying at 80/60.  How quickly my bp and hr were caging also were factors. They could literally get a great bp on me and the next minute I'd be unconscious with crazy low bp. I am much more stable now, the pacemaker leveling off my hr seems to have secondarily leveled off a good bit of my bp fluctuations, at other times it compensates by raising my hr.

There are other things that can cause a person to loose consciousness, obviously that would be something to discuss with your dr. Anything that affects the flow of blood/oxygen to the brain could be a factor. Over stimulation of the vagus nerve may also be something to look into.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Some people have both POTS and NCS.  We have more info about NCS here:

http://www.dinet.org/content/information-resources/ncs/

Some people with POTS faint but many don't, so it could be an indicator that something else is going on besides POTS.

[Bigskyfam]

I normally have enough enough time to sit or lay before syncope

however I'd say I've had a dozen times that I've had sudden syncope.

what have the docs recommended for treatment?

[Debbie Rose]

I have never passed out which fascinated the doctors-my BP was 54/42 and I was miserable and begging to lay down, I was still awake. I have time to get to my recliner when symptoms start coming on

 

Debbie

[Sheri Lynn]

I've had bp as low a 60/40 & not passed out.  Other times I've passed out as many as 25 times in a day.  I also have hypersomnia so its hard to tell what is passing out & what is sleep attacks.  Sitting down usually helps and then i know its because of the dysautonomia. 

[yogini]

I have POTS with low BP and have never passed out.  I think people with POTS can have variable BP - some run high, some run low and others are all over the place.  Fainting is more common in NCS than POTS -- it is possible to have both conditions.  It does seem strange that you'd pass out while your BP is normal.  Maybe ask the next time you see your doctor?